Pirouette
by SparkofMemories
Summary: Setsuko's life has already been planned for her from the start. Ruled by her perfectionist mother, she was groomed to be the best. She had no choices to begin with so she just followed her mother's orders, even getting herself engaged to a guy she never even love. However, things happen when an old fire from her past comes into the picture, disrupting the static life she lived.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi, guys! Seriously, I had a really, really long break from writing anything. I'm so sorry to my readers out there. My laziness is definitely inexcusable. Well, here is another Ouran High School Host Club story for you and I hope you enjoy it.  
_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I only have the rights to this plot and my OCs_

* * *

 _1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4….'_ A 5 year old girl mentally counted as she repeatedly raised her left leg with impeccable grace and ease.

She was dressed in a fitted black leotards and white ballet tights as she stood up on her toes on the polished cherry wood floor of her personal dance studio wearing her white satin pointe shoes.

The little girl ignored the pain on her feet caused by several unhealed blisters from her previous practices where she was required to wear her pointe shoes in order to break them in.

Today, she had been practicing the routine for her part in the upcoming ballet performance nonstop. The only break she would have was when she drank water to replenish herself from the extensive practice.

It was her mother's order.

She has to practice her movements until it was flawless and perfect.

Well, the little girl could practically say that she memorized the entire routine by now. The cassette was playing a part of the musical piece of the ballet. It was her part.

The girl was quite lucky because it was rare for a girl in her age to actually be handed down a solo part on a ballet performance. It was considered really early. That's why many of her ballet classmates were obviously jealous of her. Because of that, many rumors began to surface such as, her family bribed her ballet instructor or she was only given the part because she's one of Madame Courtnere, her ballet instructor's favorite.

But the worst rumor was when they said that she took the backdoor to gain the role. You see, her mother was a famous prima ballerina who worked with the Royal Ballet Academy during her ballet years. She was renowned throughout the entire globe and being a daughter of one of the wealthiest businessman in France certainly added up to her fame.

So, many began to assume that it was because of her mother's influence that she was handed the solo role.

But in the midst of that, the girl knew that they were wrong.

She practiced harder and longer than a girl in her age normally would until her tiny feet bled. She would not stop until she perfected her pirouettes which resulted in her getting really dizzy because of the spinning .

She strove for perfection just like her mother said.

 _'Perfection'_

There was something in that word that made her cringe and at the same time smile.

She would cringe because she knew that she was far from being perfect, at least according to her mother. But that word also makes her smile because that was the thing that motivates her to be the best, to do better than others.

While she was seriously practicing her dance, the door to the dance room slowly opened and a man in his early 30's walked inside, holding a square red box topped with a gold ribbon. He went towards the cassette and pressed the pause button to stop the music.

The little girl then turned to look at who stopped the music and her eyes widened in surprise as a small smile crept up her face.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed in an excited voice as she ran towards him. She reached out both of her tiny arms to him and in turn, her father lifted her up and spun her around in circles.

"How is my little girl?" he asked in a gentle and loving voice.

The girl then giggled and hugged her daddy's neck when they finally settled down into a nearby red velvet plush chair and she was brought to sit on her father's lap.

"I'm good, daddy. I just landed a solo role for my upcoming ballet performance this week!" she said with happiness in her voice and a smile plastered on her face. Her father then smiled back at his daughter and brought out the red box.

"Well, it seems like it's the perfect opportunity to give this to you." He said and handed her the red box.

The girl's eyes sparkled in delight at her father's gift. He was recently in Europe for an important business meeting regarding a partnership for their new hotel in Italy.

She knew that her father was a very busy man, after all, leading one of the most powerful company in Japan and soon, the world, was a difficult task to handle.

But despite of that, every time he went home, he has never forgotten to bring back a present for his daughter.

The girl quickly untied the ribbon and opened the box. She was immediately greeted by the rich and heavenly smell of chocolate truffles.

Each truffle was of different flavors raging from dark chocolate, down to white chocolates and creamy pralines. Her mouth watered at seeing all the delicious chocolates in front of her, waiting to be picked and eaten by her.

She was about to pick one of the chocolate truffles, the one with the caramel butterscotch filling when her mother's words rang in her ear.

'Remember, you have to lose more than 2 pounds for your performance….'

She sighed in regret as she closed her eyes and put back the lid on the box. Her father then eyed her worriedly when he saw his daughter closing the box of chocolates.

"What is it, darling? Don't you like my present? They are specifically made by a famous French chocolatier." her father said.

The girl then rapidly shook her head. "No, it's not that. I really love your gift, daddy but…." The girl trailed of as she looked back and forth between the box of scrumptious chocolates to the white weighing scale on the corner of the dance room.

"But?"

The girl then sigh as she went down from her father's lap and gave the chocolates back.

"Mother said that I have to lose more than 2 pounds for my upcoming ballet performance." The girl replied with sadness laced in her voice.

It was because of that order from her mother that she only got to eat granola cereals for breakfast, lettuce and tomatoes for lunch and an apple for dinner. Her meals were strictly planned by her mother to ensure her weight loss before the ballet performance.

And as much as she would love to devour all of those chocolates, she has to decline for the sole purpose of having more elegance, flexibility and balance into her movements for the performance.

"Come on, dear! I heard from your nanny that you've been practically starved to death by your mother! You're going to risk your health if you keep on following this diet." Her father replied with a worried tone in his voice.

He was seriously starting to get annoyed by the way his wife treated their daughter. It has always been like this for a few years now. Ever since his daughter started to walk, his wife basically started to force her into the path of becoming a ballerina. Sure, he tolerated it from the beginning but now, it was getting quite irritating.

"Setsuko, change your outfit. I'm going to take you out of this dance studio." He said to his daughter whose eyes widened at her father's words.

"Dad! Mom said that I should practice till she gets back from aunt's tea party!" the girl, whose name was Setsuko replied to her father.

"Nonsense! She's enjoying herself drinking tea and eating crumpets while she left her daughter here dancing nonstop with an empty stomach! Hurry, change your clothes and I'll take you to the amusement park." The man stated with determination in his voice.

Setsuko just sigh as she stared at the window, deciding whether to proceed with her father's wish or to ignore him and do what her mother told her to do and that is to keep on practicing.

...

 _"Sorry, dad. Maybe next time."_

* * *

 ** _(12 years later)_**

"And the champion of this year's Kawaguchi Classical Dance Award under the Classical Ballet Solo, Advanced Division is none other than... Fujiwara Setsuko-san!" the Master of Ceremonies exclaimed and the crowd roared with applause as the champion of the contest gracefully made her way to the stage. The spotlight softly fell upon her, making her enchanting black swan costume glimmer with beauty.

"Fujiwara Setsuko-san had received a total of 5 Kawaguchi Classical Dance Award. Three for the Classical Ballet Solo, one for contemporary solo and one for classical pas de deux couple with her partner being Yamamoto Kazuya-san. This year marks her 6th award." a female voice over stated from the speakers as the presenter of the award handed Setsuko her trophy.

Yes, it has always been like this. Every year was just the same as the last.

* * *

In the midst of the crowd, sitting in the VIP section of the ballet theater was a woman of ageless beauty. She had short, wavy gold spun hair and cat like periwinkle eyes that can make anyone be hypnotized at the sight of them. Her rouge painted lips formed a smirk as her black velvet gloved hand gracefully clapped.

"I always knew that she would be an excellent protégée" the woman said with her thick French accented Japanese.

"Yes, darling. However, do not forget that she is still our daughter. You stress her out too much." the woman's husband replied as he took the woman's gloved hand lovingly.

"Even a diamond has to be polished to perfection before it can even be considered as valuable, if not, it is just considered as a measly rock." the woman stated and directly gazed at her husband.

" Setsuko has that innate talent for dancing. She knows how to coordinate her movements with the emotions of the music and that is something that is hard to find. "

"But what about Setsuna? She also loved dancing ever since she was a child. She always tried her best to impress you but all you ever cared about was Setsuko."

After her husband made that statement, the woman removed her attention from her husband and turned it back to her daughter who was giving an emotionless smile to the camera as it took her picture.

 _'It doesn't mean that because you love something, you are bound to do it right.'_

* * *

Setsuko gently brushed her straight, raven black hair as she soaked her feet in a basin of ice cold water to relax her muscles as well as to numb the pain on her right ankle due to a mistake in a foot work earlier. There was a part in the dance where she had to do a certain foot work but she took a wrong turn and ended up twisting her ankle in the wrong place. Thankfully, she quickly covered up the mistake with an impromptu step.

She was interrupted from her musings when she heard a knock from the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Kyouya"

Setsuko lightly frowned and proceeded to put down her hair brush. "Come in."

The door slowly opened, revealing the black locks and glass framed obsidian eyes of her 10 year long fiance, Ootori Kyouya.

He came in, dressed elegantly as always with a bouquet of pink peony flowers on his hand.

"I came to congratulate you on winning the competition." he said and gave the bouquet to Setsuko but she just stared at them as if they were the most poisonous thing on earth.

"I have had too much of that congratulatory phrase earlier." Setsuko replied and ignored the bouquet presented in front of her as she picked up the hair brush and went back on combing her hair.

Kyouya then gave her a smirk and just settled on placing the bouquet on top of her vanity table. He then made himself comfortable by sitting on white leather couch across from where Setsuko sat.

He then noticed her feet soaked in the cold basin as well as the purpling bruise on her ankle. He glanced at her for a bit then back to her feet which were a horrendous sight to look at due to her years of training as a ballet dancer. It's a pity that she would never be able to wear sandals beautifully.

"You sprained yourself earlier." he said, stating the obvious.

Setsuko momentarily glanced at him but turned her attention back to the mirror as she pat on her SK II Facial Treatment Essence on her bare face to replenish her skin from the heavy stage makeup earlier.

"What's it to you?" she replied in a crisp tone.

Kyouya's smirk grew wider as he stood up and went near her. He then slowly leaned close to her and rested his chin on her shoulder, taking in her signature scent of lavenders and chamomile.

"I worry for you because you are my beloved fiancee" his mellow yet husky voice whispered to her ear.

At this statement, Setsuko lightly glared at the mirror which reflected the two of them in a cold and unfeeling embrace.

 _'Beloved?'_

It made her want to laugh.

There was no way that Ootori Kyouya would ever treat this engagement thing other than a business partnership.

Yes.

Business Partnership.

 ** _Just a Business Partnership..._**

"I certainly don't need that flowery line especially coming from a person such as yourself." Setsuko stated and pried off herself from Kyouya. She then grabbed the fluffy white towel settled on top of the vanity table and wiped her wet, cold feet. She stood up, smoothed down her dress, put on her black flat shoes and grabbed her Burberry wool coat from the nearby coat stand.

"Get out and take your flowers with you. I get sick just by looking at them." Setsuko stated and walked her way with difficulty towards the door, all the while silently wincing from the pressure she put on her injured ankle.

"Why? I thought that pink peonies were your favorite."

Setsuko stopped all her movements and looked down the polished oak flooring with a glare. She slightly bit on her lip as her hands unconsciously formed into fists.

 _"Yes, they were. Until that certain someone who always gave them to me disappeared one day and was replaced by a ruthless son of a bitch such as you"_

* * *

Well, that's it for the first chapter. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know by leaving this story a review or PM. Thank you and have a great day!


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi, guys! So here is chapter 2 of Pirouette!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I only have the rights to my original characters and the plot of this story._

* * *

 _The hallways were empty as it was already late in the night._

 _It was silent in the building except for the single faint sound of music coming from the dance room no. was playing in the background as two graceful ballet dancers were gliding ever so gracefully unto the perfectly polished oak wood flooring._

 _The male one of the two lifted up his partner as she stretched her limbs and moved them with impeccable grace and smoothness mimicking how silk would billow against the wind._

 _As the song came to an end, the two drew their faces closer and closer until the male grabbed the female's waist and then put a hand on the cheek for the final pose._

 _The final note of the song was heard and the two separated themselves from each other. The two briefly caught their breaths and took off their pointe shoes to rest their tired feet._

 _"So, do you think we can win tomorrow's competition?" the guy asked to the girl as she wiped her sweat with a towel. She then looked at him and gave him a small smirk._

 _"Do you even have to ask that? I didn't win countless awards in my 15 years of existence for nothing." she replied with a bit of arrogance in her voice but nonetheless, her tone was slightly playful, noting that she was just joking with him._

 _"But this will be your first pas de deux, right?It's completely different from ballet solo. You have to put your complete trust to your partner." he stated and went closer towards her._

 _The girl's eyes then softened as she too, went closer to him until there were only at an arm's length._

 _"I trust you, Kazuya." she replied and leaned her head on his shoulder._

 _Kazuya then wrapped his arms around her slender waist and drew her closer to him._

 _"You lost weight again. I know that the girls are required to be underweight but..."_

 _She then sighed and buried her face closer to his shoulder, inhaling his calming scent of mint and coffee._

 _"You sure worry a lot..." she mumbled and placed a soft kiss on the nape of his neck. The guy then smiled and kissed the top of her head in return._

 _"How can I not? You are the girl I love..."_

 _The female then closed her eyes and detached herself from their embrace._

 _"Kazuya, I love you too but I..."_

 _"..."_

 _"...You know that I already have a fiance and... I'm tired of keeping you and our relationship in the dark." the girl whispered with melancholy in her voice._

 _Kazuya then gave a sad smile as he cupped her cheek with one hand and placed a soft kiss on her forehead._

 _"I know... I clearly know it, Setsuko."_

* * *

"On pointe!" the ballet instructor exclaimed and at once, the dancers stood on their toes, wearing their satin pointe shoes.

The ballet instructor then motioned for the pianist to play the music and soon, the sound of the classical piece being played by the pianist filled the dance room and the dancers immediately danced with the music, all the while counting as to not miss a single step.

The ballet instructor eyed each one of them with critical eyes, noting any slight miss in their movements or footwork. Her eyes then landed on her favorite student who was as graceful as ever with her head held up high and an emotionless expression plastered on her face as she danced through their difficult and complex dance routine.

"Setsuko, come over here." she stated.

The raven haired girl then looked at her instructor questioningly but came towards her nonetheless.

"What is it, Madame Vivienne?" she asked the 40 year old former prima ballerina.

Vivienne then glared and pointed at her ankles. "Go to the infirmary now! If your ankle is sprained, at least notify me about it so I could let you skip today's practice! Don't you know how a simple sprain can grow worse with negligence and eventually ruin a ballerina's life?!" she lectured sharply towards her best student.

Immediately, sounds of hushed whispers from the other dancers filled the dance room as they murmur with one another.

"Wait, Fujiwara-san sprained her ankle?!"

"She looks perfectly fine to me..."

"Wow, look at that... the child prodigy is finally being scolded. Serves her right! She's too stuck up for her own good."

"I'll double your training regimen if you all don't shut up this instance!" Madame Vivienne exclaimed with her sharp and crisp voice that made the dancers' eyes widen in shock as they continued to dance their routine.

She turned her attention back to Setsuko and crossed her arms. "What are you waiting for? Head over to the infirmary to have your sprain treated. I forbid you to return to this dance studio in your pointe shoes until you have your sprain healed." she stated and then went back towards the other dancers to guide and check their positions.

Setsuko stared at them and bit her lip to stop her incoming protest. She knows that her ballet instructor was right. Madame Vivienne may be strict and a perfectionist but she cares a lot for her dancers. Even a single blister in their feet and she would immediately tell them to go to the infirmary.

Setsuko then gave a sigh of defeat and went inside the locker room to remove her pointe shoes and her black leotards. She then put on her Lobelia uniform and loosened up her long, wavy hair which was in a tight bun earlier and let it cascade down her back.

After slipping on her white school shoes and grabbing her black Chanel bag, she went out of the locker room and proceed her way down the hallways as she gave a call to her chauffeur to ready the car, clearly ignoring the orders of her ballet instructor to head to the infirmary.

When she was finally at the front gate, she spotted her chauffeur waiting for her. He opened the car door of the white limousine with his gloved hand and guided her inside where she sat on the cream leather couches.

The chauffeur closed the door and made his way towards the driver seat.

"Where are we headed, Setsuko-sama?" he politely asked.

Setsuko stared into the car window as an idea popped into her mind.

 _'Might as well visit my good for nothing fiance while I have the time..'_ she thought to herself. Her mother had been harping on about how she never visited her fiance's school and how he had involved himself in host club. Seriously, she wouldn't even bat an eye if ever her fiance had a hidden girlfriend behind her back.

"To Ouran Academy"

* * *

So, that's it for the second chapter. How is it? Please leave me a review or message so that I can hear your thoughts. Have a nice day!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm so sorry! I was totally on hiatus for more than a year! I actually forgot that I saved this chapter on my laptop and when I browsed through my documents to delete unimportant files, I found this! Well, thank you for my readers who still waited and here is a quite long chapter for all of you!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own OHHC. I only have the rights to my plot and original characters**

 **P.S. This chapter may be a bit long because this chapter presents an important part of Setsuko's past.**

* * *

Staring absentmindedly at the passing sceneries from the car's tinted window, Setsuko sighed as she placed a free hand underneath her chin and let her chin rest around it.

 _'It's been a long time since I went back to Ouran'_ she thought to herself.

She was a student of Ouran every since she was in her kindergarten and it suddenly came as a shock to everyone when she decided to drop out during the end of the semester on her last year in middle school.

She sighed again and closed her eyes as she rolled down the car's window to feel the fresh breeze of the early autumn wind on her face. The sound of crunchy yellow orange leaves falling along the pavement of the quiet rode they were driving in as well as the occasional chirps of birds that were perched on the branches of the trees lining the road pavement instantly brought her back to _that_ time.

 _'Yes, it was this time of the year.'_

 _'It was in the early autumn season when I felt something I never thought I would ever feel…'_

 _'It was this time when I met him….'_

* * *

 ** _(3 years ago)_**

 _The sign of autumn was slowly but surely coming around as the breeze was getting chillier and the once lush green leaves of the trees turning into yellows, oranges and_ _brown. The students of Ouran academy were bustling around as usual, talking about the recent rise in the stock market, bragging about the increase in shares, predicting on whose business will soon go bankrupt, shrieking over the latest autumn/winter collections that designer brands recently released…. It was just a typical day._

 _However, what Setsuko thought to be typical turns out to be the total opposite._

 _As she was walking down the grand hallways of Ouran Academy, she was stopped by group of girls of whom she recognized where part of the ballet club._

 _"Fujiwara-san, did you hear the latest news?!" one of the girls in the group exclaimed towards her._

 _Setsuko lightly raised her brow in irritation. She wasn't one for gossips and if god forbids that this one is one of those…_

 _She made her way towards them nonetheless, for the sake of obligation._

 _"A new student will be coming to Ouran!" the blonde girl from the group exclaimed with a high pitched voice._

 _A new student… Neither surprising nor something to be excited about. He or she will just be another rich brat from some wealthy family. Another arrogant kid who will be walking down the same hallways she was walking on._

 _However it came as a surprise to her when a ginger haired girl added._

 _"Not just any new student! A scholarship student! I heard that he or she was accepted through the dance scholarship program!"_

 _A scholarship student from the dance scholarship program? It must be some quite a feat for the dance scholarship program was hard to claim._

 _'It is certainly interesting….'_

 _(Fastforward)_

 _The members of the ballet club were left to practice on their own until Madame Eleanor, their ballet instructor returns with the new scholarship student. They were practicing together with their satin pointe shoes to the music of their complex ballet routine. Well, except for one person…._

 _"Why does she get the special treatment?!"_

 _"Just look at her stuck up face! If her father wasn't my father's business partner, I would love to ruin that arrogant face of hers!"_

 _"Honestly, she's nothing like her angelic sister at all! Just look at Setsuna-chan, she's so sweet and humble yet that harpy sister of hers takes all the credit!"_

 _Harsh whispers from the ballet dancers circled around the room as one lone dancer was practicing a different, more difficult and advanced routine at the edge of the room opposite to where the other dancers were practicing._

 _Setsuko ignored all of the comments and insults directed at her as she continued to practice with grace and preciseness that made her the object of envy among the girls at the ballet club._

 _"How could she continue with a straight face like that when she just get treated special because she's Madame Eleanor's favourite?!"_

 _"Yes, just the same as always. The backdoor girl! I heard she won the International Ballet Competition last month because one of the judges was her mother's colleague!"_

 _"Wow, talk about shameless…"_

 _Suddenly, the music of their routine stopped, the only noise being heard were that of the dancer's chatter and the music of Setsuko's different routine._

 _"Would all of you please stop saying such harsh things to my sister!" a female's voice exclaimed and all of them turned towards the blonde haired and hazel eyed female standing by the side of the cassette._

 _"Setsuna-chan…."_

 _The girl, a first year in middle school glared at her fellow ballet dancers as she went towards the direction of her older sister, a second year in middle school who nonchalantly continued through her dance routine not noting any of the previous biting comments made by the girls in the troupe, as if she was in her own little world._

 _"Setsuko onee-san, don't take their comments to heart. You really are a talented dancer and they just envy you for your talent." Setsuna said to her sister with a sweet, understanding voice. She looked towards Setsuko with a soft gaze and gave her older sister an angelic smile._

 _Setsuko returned her younger sister gaze once with her cold periwinkle eyes but never stopped dancing._

 _Setsuna slightly lowered her gaze and bit her lip in sadness at her sister's cold gaze on her but her sweet smile returned nonetheless as she placed her hand on her sister's arm in a caring way._

 _"Onee-san, no matter what anyone says, I always believe in you." She spoke once again in her soothing voice._

 _"How gentle and kind Setsuna-chan is…"_

 _"She's practically an angel for putting up with her sister's distasteful attitude.."_

 _Comments on how kind and gentle Setsuna is filled the dance room as compared to the previous stabbing ones directed to her older sister._

 _Finally, the music of Setsuko's routine came to a stop. She then turned her direction towards her sister who was looking at her with tender-filled sisterly gaze. Her periwinkle ones which she inherited from her mother never wavered a bit as she looked at her sister with the usual emotionless gaze._

 _"Onee-san…"_

 _"Shut it, Setsuna."_

 _Her cold voice as well as her equally cold reply rang through the walls of the painfully silent dance room. The dancers' eyes widened at the harsh display of Setsuko in return to Setsuna's comforting words._

 _"Setsuko onee-san…" Setsuna muttered as she stared, wide eyed at her sister's short but sharp reply._

 _"All of you know that practice is essential especially for the upcoming performance at the annual Autumn Performing Arts Presentation. If you have time to waste as to dilly dally and squabble like a bunch of buffoons, use that time to practice your routine before you make a fool out of yourselves in front of the school's chairman and board of directors." Setsuko sharply stated to the dancers and went towards the direction of the cassette playing the dancer's routine and pressed the resume button._

 _The dancers all stood in astonishment at Setsuko as they kept all of their harsh comments to their selves in sympathy to Setsuna who was looking down at her satin pointe shoes, looking as though she was using all of her willpower to stop tears from flowing down her round, hazel eyes._

 _"Onee-san, why are you always so cold to me?" Setsuna whispered in a soft, melancholic voice as a single tear escaped from her eye and dripped down her cheek. Biting her lip in sadness and resignation, she went back towards the other ballet dancers who resumed their dance routine._

 _A few minutes later, Madame Eleanor went back to the dance studio with a handsome guy with slightly long light blue hair bordering to white that is approximately an inch pass his shoulders, accompanying his soft light blue hair was a set of enchanting cerulean blue eyes framed by thick lashes. His looks were handsome, not a hot and macho type of handsome but an androgynous type of handsome almost leaning feminine._

 _The female dancers and even some guys blushed at the sight of the female-like male standing in front of them._

 _"This is Yamamoto Kazuya-kun. He'll be part of our ballet club from now on." Madame Eleanor's sharp and elegant voice stated as she urged the new member of the troupe to introduce himself._

 _"Umm…. N-Nice to meet you, I-I'm Yamamoto Kazuya." He said with a shy, soft voice and bowed deeply towards his fellow dance members._

 _"How cute…. Is he the dance scholarship student?"_

 _"I never thought it was a male. At least we have another guy in our troupe."_

 _Madame Eleanor searched through her group of dancers and her eyes finally settled to her secretly favourite student, Setsuko._

 _"Setsuko-chan, come here for a second." Madame Eleanor said to her student who was quietly standing in the corner of the room where she held her individual practice._

 _"Hai." Setsuko replied and made her way towards her ballet instructor._

 _"As the principal dancer of the ballet club, I would like to entrust him to your care. Teach him the ropes and guide him to make his way easily around here." Madame Eleanor requested._

 _Setsuko slightly frowned. 'Great, another whining kid to babysit.' She thought to herself and grimaced at the fact that she would have to allot time from her precious practice in order to guide a seemingly socially awkward brat. However, she just signed in resignation knowing that there is no point in arguing with her ballet instructor._

 _"I understand." Setsuko replied and gave a cold gaze towards Kazuya whose eyes widened and his body tensed from the pressuring gaze of the principal dancer of Ouran's prestigious ballet club._

 _"Now, everyone I would like to discuss the performance regarding the annual Autumn Performing Arts Presentation. The performance by Ouran's ballet club is the highlight of the event so I would like everything to be absolutely perfect and impeccable. For this year, I would like to have "Anastasia" as our performance. All of you know the story of the grand duchess and her childhood friend, Dmitri, right? Therefore, there is no need for unnecessary explanations." Madame Eleanor stated._

 _"Oh! This sounds interesting! I thought for sure we would do Don Quixote!" a redhead girl exclaimed in surprise._

 _"Don Quixote might be too much for the event so I think Anastasia is quite appropriate." Setsuna said with a cheerful smile in contrast to her sister's stoic expression._

 _"Now, for the cast of the performance, I would like to have Yamamoto-kun as Dmitri. This will mark his first performance in Ouran so I would like to give him this opportunity. No arguments from the guys here, right?" Madame Eleanor asked and the male dancers shook their head. She then turned towards the ladies._

 _"Of course, for the part of Anastasia, I would like to give it to Setsuko-chan." She stated, her gaze directed towards the ballet prodigy._

 _"Eh? She gets the main role again?!"_

 _"Didn't she also play the main role in Cendrillon last year?!"_

 _"This isn't fair!"_

 _The harsh hushed whisper of the female dancers towards his now mentor greeted Kazuya's ears for the first time. He looked at Setsuko with worry in his eyes but it seems like she's not bothered by one bit._

 _"Quiet! Now, since many of you disagree for Setsuko to be given the main role, I would do an audition for the other characters as well as for the part of Anastasia." Madame Eleanor exclaimed to the chattering girls._

 _Immediately the chatter quieted down with approving gazes from the other dancers._

 _"Now that that is settled, I would prepare an audition piece for the characters and by the end of the week, our characters should be finalized." Madame Eleanor said and with nods of approval from the dancers, the club activities ended and they were free to go home._

 _Kazuya watched as his fellow dancers made their way towards two dressing rooms adjacent to the dance studio to change back to their uniform. He took a glance at Setsuko and noticed that she went back to where she was when he first saw her._

 _He saw her do some stretches and Kazuya wondered if she wasn't going home yet._

 _"Umm…" he mumbled shyly towards his mentor._

 _Setsuko stopped stretching and turned to look at him. "What is it?"she asked with a sharp tone that made him slightly flinch._

 _"Aren't you going home?" he asked._

 _"What does it have to do with you?" she retorted with a cold voice that made Kazuya even more nervous around her presence._

 _"Well, it's just…." He was about to say something when a beautiful girl with straight blonde hair and cheerful amber eyes went towards them._

 _"Onee-san, it's time to go home. I notified our chauffer to wait for us by the entrance." The girl said in a sweet, soft voice._

 _'Eh? They are siblings?! But they look nothing alike!' Kazuya thought to himself in surprise as looked back and forth towards the two polar opposite siblings._

 _"Go home without me." Setsuko simply replied to her sister as she finished her stretching and went towards the cassette to play the music for her routine._

 _"But we don't get to go home together anymore. It's either you stay late practicing or you go home together with Kyouya-kun. Come on, we haven't spent time together in ages!" Setsuna pleaded to her sister with a childish pout that seemed adorable to Kazuya._

 _However, Setsuko paused for a moment to look at her sister and glared at her._

 _"Stop being such a brat, Setsuna." Setsuko said without any hint of warmth towards her younger sister who was asking for her company._

 _Setsuna's eyes widened a fraction but then she looked down and quietly bit her lip._

 _"I-I understand, Onee-san. I'm going ahead." Setsuna then turned around and walked away._

 _'That was harsh!' Kazuya thought and looked at Setsuko who proceeded as though nothing happened._

 _"So, what are you still doing here? Are you not going home too?" Setsuko asked without even glancing towards Kazuya._

 _"Eh? Umm… but you are my mentor and... and d-don't you think it's appropriate if we get to know each other?" Kazuya replied with a nervous smile._

 _Setsuko let out an exasperated sigh. "And how does being a mentor relate to getting to know each other. I just have to teach you the ropes and we are done. Now, will you quit disrupting me because I have had a fair share of people interrupting me today and I don't want to add you to the list. Now, go home!" she replied with a hint of annoyance._

 _Kazuya flinched at her harsh tone and bowed._

 _"Yes, I'm sorry for interrupting you."_

 _He quickly made his way towards the door when he heard a moan of pain coming from Setsuko's direction. He turned around with a worried expression and found Setsuko sitting down the polished oak wood flooring, cradling her right ankle as if in pain._

 _"Are you alright, Setsuko-san?!" he rushed towards Setsuko's direction to know what the problem was but he was immediately swatted off._

 _"I told you to go home, didn't I?! Sto-"_

 _Before Setsuko could even finish her sentence, Kazuya crouched down to her level and gently inspected Setsuko's right ankle._

 _"You sprained your ankle for quite some time now." He said, observing the purple looking bruise on her ankle._

 _Setsuko glared and looked away from Kazuya. "It's nothing that I can't manage." She replied and swatted off Kazuya's fingers that were inspecting her injury but they were in vain._

 _"How come you didn't say anything? My guess is that you probably sprained it yesterday because it's starting to form a bruise." Kazuya inquired worriedly. He looked at Setsuko with his kind cerulean eyes filled with worry._

 _"….."_

 _Setsuko remained quiet and she finally looked at him directly. Kazuya's eyes widened for a second as he finally had a full view of Setsuko's enchanting periwinkle eyes._

 _At first, he thought they looked nothing but cold and unemotional but now that he have had the chance to finally look at them properly, there was something more that he could see aside from his earlier impression of them._

 _He didn't notice that he was quite shamelessly staring at her when Setsuko coughed to get his attention._

 _Immediately, Kazuya flinched in surprise and finally noticed that he was openly staring at his mentor and a pink blush slightly crept up his cheeks._

 _"Oh! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll get some cold compress for you so wait a minute!" Kazuya dashed off before Setsuko could even protest._

 _Setsuko raised her eyebrows in curiosity at the weird behaviour of the new member and she looked down as she remembered his gaze on her._

 _'His eyes looked certainly pretty…' she thought to herself. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization of what she had just thought and quickly exclaimed to herself to snap out of it._

 _Soon, Kazuya returned to the dance studio with a cold compress from the male's dressing room. He quietly made his way towards Setsuko and was about to place the compress on her injury when Setsuko stopped him._

 _"I can do it by myself." She stated indignantly._

 _"Please let me do it for you." Kazuya replied with a gentle tone and without further hesitation, pressed the cold compress to Setsuko's injury._

 _Setsuko flinched from the sudden feeling of coldness on her injury and Kazuya immediately apologized._

 _The two were quiet for a while without anyone uttering a single word when…._

 _"Fujiwara Setsuko"_

 _"Huh?" Kazuya looked towards Setsuko questioningly._

 _"Fujiwara Setsuko. That's my full name."_

 _"Oh… W-Well I'm-" Kazuya was flustered by the sudden introduction of his mentor and was about to introduce himself back._

 _"Shut it. You already introduced yourself awhile back. You don't need to repeat yourself." Setsuko said with a sharp tone._

 _"Oh, okay…."_

 _The awkward silence continued between the two of them until Kazuya gasped and dropped the compress._

 _"What's wrong?"_

 _"W-Wait! You're THE Fujiwara Setsuko?! The youngest champion of the International Ballet Competition in Advanced Division?!" Kazuya exclaimed in shock._

 _"Huh? Yeah. What's the big deal?" Setsuko asked monotonously._

 _Kazuya was even more shocked that she treated it as if it was nothing._

 _"I never thought that you study at Ouran. So that's why you looked familiar when I first saw you…" he stated shyly. He then resumed on pressing the cold compress on Setsuko's injury and expected another round of awkward silence when…._

 _"**Grumble**_

 _It was the sound of stomach grumbling. He looked down but knew that it wasn't his so…_

 _"Setsuko-san, are you hungry?" he asked his mentor whose eyes widened and immediately turned away from his gaze. Kazuya didn't know if it was just the sun's rays hitting on them but he made out a light pink flush across Setsuko's cheek._

 _'No, it's not the sun. She's blushing.' He thought to himself and smiled in amusement as he thought of how adorable her face is right now._

 _'Wait?! What am I thinking?!' he immediately chastised himself from even thinking that his mentor was cute when he remembered that he had some bar of chocolate on his bag._

 _Quickly getting his bag, he rummaged through it to find what he needed and handed it to Setsuko._

 _"Here. It's a bit soft now though and I know that you aren't really used to this commoner brand but I hope that this will suffice." He held out his family sized milk chocolate bar to her._

 _Setsuko stared at it for awhile and gave the chocolate a glare._

 _"You don't want it? I guess you really don't eat these type of convenience store bought chocolates"_

 _"No, it's not that." Setsuko quickly replied to disperse the misunderstanding. She continued to glare at the chocolate in silence as if she's having a silent war with the sweet thing._

 _"That thing is worth 1200 calories and 100 grams of sugar. That's two hours worth of treadmill and an hour of crunches." She mumbled to herself but nonetheless, it was heard by Kazuya who wasn't expecting her comment at all and gave out a laugh._

 _"Hey! Who are you laughing at?!" Setsuko snapped towards him with a now obvious blush on her cheeks._

 _"No, it's nothing hahahha!" Kazuya laughed even harder and Setsuko bit her lip in frustration._

 _"Give me that!" she quickly snatched the chocolate from him and unwrapped it._

 _"I thought you didn't want it?" Kazuya asked, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes from the previous laughs he had awhile ago._

 _"I never said I didn't want it. I was simply stating that this is literally a bar of calories and sugar." Setsuko responded as she took her first bite of the slightly soft but not melted milk chocolate bar._

 _She sighed in bliss at the familiar sweetness of the chocolate and the creaminess of the milk._

 _Kazuya smiled at the expression of happiness portrayed by Setsuko._

 _"You look like you've never eaten chocolate before." He commented which made Setsuko look at him._

 _"I've never eaten one in almost a year."_

 _"What? How is that possible?!"_

 _Setsuko sighed and took a big bite of the chocolate._

 _"You see, maintaining a light weight is a key to a ballerina's success." She took another bite of the chocolate. "So, if it means sacrificing any of these heavenly treats then it's fine." Another bite._

 _"It sure is rough for female ballerinas" Kazuya commented and watched as Setsuko took another big bite of the chocolate._

 _"You'll see tomorrow. Come by the cafeteria and there is a set of menu strictly prepared for the ballet club. It's dreadful especially the ones for females. It's nothing but a bunch of leaves and grass." Setsuko replied._

 _"Oh, I doubt that I can even afford the food in here. Even the uniform is ridiculously expensive!" Kazuya exclaimed._

 _"Yeah, but the boy's uniform is better that what we wear. It's horrendous that I can't even bring myself to like it one bit." Setsuko replied in a humorous way._

 _Kazuya paused and stared at Setsuko who was busily munching on her chocolate with eyes glittering with contentment and a slight smile peeking through her lips._

 _He never thought she could look that way when he first saw her and even in the pictures he saw of her, she was always looking so stoic that one may mistake her for a wax figure instead of a person._

 _But now, seeing her soft gaze as she innocently devoured the chocolate, she seems like a completely different person. A warm and gentle person…._

 _His heart thumped at the sight of the unusual expression of his mentor._

 _Right now, he would never even believe that she was the same person who looked so detached from her fellow dancers, the person who acted so coldly towards her own sister, the person who threw biting replies at him…_

 _She just looked so different from what he saw earlier that it made him wonder if what he is seeing right now is the real Setsuko._

 _He was brought out from his musings when he heard a gasp coming from Setsuko. He turned to her direction and saw that she had her eyes wide as if in surprise and fear._

 _"What happened?" he asked worriedly, hoping nothing wrong happened to her._

 _"I-I.."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"I-I ate it all…"_

 _"Huh?" Now Kazuya even looked more confused. Setsuko glared at him and bit her lip._

 _"I ate all of the chocolate! A family sized one at that!" she exclaimed in frustration. She turned her gaze to him and glared even harsher._

 _"It's your fault!"_

 _"Eh? How is it my fault?" Kazuya asked questioningly, nothing making sense to him at all._

 _"You kept on chatting with me and distracting me that I never noticed I'm eating more than what I am supposed to eat!" Setsuko replied in an uncharacteristically petulant way._

 _Instead of getting angry at her accusation, Kazuya felt like he wanted to laugh from the uncharacteristic behaviour of his mentor._

 _"Hahahha! You really are funny, aren't you Setsuko-san? To think that a bar of chocolate can make you act so differently from before!" Kazuya laughed with tears in his eyes as he doubled over in laughter._

 _Setsuko glared at him lightly and then turned her gaze away from him with a slight blush on her cheeks as she deemed the need to stop this conversation unless she wanted to bring shame on herself even more._

 _"Whatever. I'm going home." She muttered and was about to stand up herself when she was supported by Kazuya._

 _"You're still injured so let me help you." Kazuya said with a soft smile on his face. Setsuko said nothing as she was led away from her practicing spot towards the entrance of the female's dressing room._

 _She went inside the dressing room by herself albeit with a slight limp and quickly changed back into her uniform. She removed the hair tie that is keeping her long black hair in a tight bun and freed it, letting it cascade down her back in soft ripple like waves._

 _She quickly took her belongings and made her way out of the dressing room where she found Kazuya waiting for her with his brown satchel bag._

 _"You waited out here?"_

 _Kazuya then turned his gaze towards Setsuko who just emerged from the dressing room and immediately, he was taken aback by the unusual image presented to him._

 _He never saw her with her hair loose. Even in the pictures of her during a ballet competition, it was always in an updo._

 _Now that he saw her, with her long wavy black hair flowing down her back, she seems really different from the uptight person he once deemed her as._

 _She looks so gentle and fragile and he didn't know why but he felt the urge to hold her hand in his._

 _'W-What am I thinking?! W-What?...' His mind was a jumbled mess as he stared at her a little longer._

 _He could still envision the innocent girl from earlier who was happily munching on her chocolate with no care in the world. He could still see that same girl who blushed and made a big deal about eating a family sized chocolate…_

 _And suddenly, he felt that his heart was thumping in his chest once again._

 _'W-What is this?'_

 _Along with the heavy thumping in his chest was a weird feeling of lightness. Like he's floating through air and…._

 _"W-What is this feeling?" he whispered quietly to himself as he felt himself blush as he gazed at Setsuko._

 _He was then interrupted by the sound of ringing. He checked if it was his phone but it was not so it's probably Setsuko's._

 _Surely it was hers. Setsuko pressed the receive call button and put her phone towards her ear._

 _"Hello? Kyouya? What is it?"_

 _'Kyouya? Isn't that a name of a guy?' Kazuya thought to himself as he unintentionally listened in to Setsuko's phone call._

 _"Huh? I'm still at the dance studio. Yes, yes, I already got my sprain treated. Yes, don't be such a worrywart, Mother Kyouya. Hehehe, No! Don't tell my mother that I ate a scoop of strawberry ice cream! Yes, I know. Alright, I'll wait for you here. Bye." The phone call ended and Setsuko turned her attention towards Kazuya who was looking at her with a weird expression on his face._

 _"You should probably go home for the day. Thank you for all your help today, I appreciate it." Setsuko said and gave a light smile towards Kazuya whose head was slightly turned downward._

 _"O-Oh umm… i-it's nothing…" he mumbled and bit his lip shyly._

 _Setsuko raised her brow slightly and a smirk made its way on her lips._

 _"Now you're acting all shy again, huh? Where's that guy who openly teased me for devouring a family sized chocolate?" Setsuko teased a little bit which made Kazuya flush in embarrassment._

 _"I'm so sorry about that. I-I was just carried away…" His words trailed off as he bit his lip harder in frustration._

 _Setsuko frowned a little bit at the uncharacteristic display of the new guy whom she just met today but mysteriously was able to loosen herself around him._

 _"Is something the matter?" she asked._

 _"H-Huh?! N-No! I-It's nothing! I-I…" he paused for a second and then looked up and gave her an awkward smile._

 _"W-Well… I was just wondering who 'Kyouya' is. From the tone of your voice you seem quite friendly with him…" he mumbled in a barely audible tone but Setsuko clearly heard it._

 _Her eyes widened in surprise at the curiosity of Kazuya._

 _"You listened to our conversation?"_

 _"E-Eh?! N-No! W-well…Yes! But… I-I'm sorry! I just overhead your conversation! I-I'm really sorry if I offended you in some way!" Kazuya exclaimed and bowed deeply towards her._

 _"No, it's not a big deal. Well, Kyouya and I are definitely close. We've been together for as long as I remember." Setsuko replied with a sigh._

 _Kazuya straightened up and looked at her._

 _"So he's your bestfriend?"_

 _Setsuko's gaze drifted away for a second. "W-Well you can say that but…." Her words trailed off for a moment._

 _"?"_

 _"Well, actually, he's my fiancé." Setsuko finished what she was about to say with a slight chuckle._

 _"…."_

 _Fiancé… that single word rang in Kazuya's ears. It was the only sound he was hearing in this big, spacious room. It was as if it echoed over and over again, repeatedly squeezing his heart so tight with every ring._

 _"Well, it was completely arranged by our parents and we know for ourselves that the two of us would die virgins lest we marry someone of similar standing. I am barely tolerable as you have probably seen earlier and Kyouya… you can say that he probably loves his stocks more than any lady in the world." Setsuko stated in a nonchalant voice as she went towards a velvet cushioned seat provided at the side of the dance studio. She sat on the plush seat as to not tire her injured foot any longer._

 _"I have always thought that a person marries for love." Kazuya replied in a soft, small voice._

 _Setsuko gave a small smirk of sympathy towards his direction._

 _"That is not how the world works for us. The money, the privileges, the extravagant life…. All of those are just mere compensation for what we have to give up. Our freedom…" She replied._

 _A moment of pregnant silence permeated the air, with only the sound of the chirping birds, the chatter of the students who were about to go home was heard. Kazuya's eyes drifted back and forth as he struggled to reply to Setsuko's statement._

 _Finally, when he was just about to speak, the door of the studio opened. The wooden door gave a slight creak as the two occupants of the room turned their attention towards the intruder._

 _"Excuse me." A pleasant voice of a male resonated across the room. Kazuya stared at the handsome stranger with curiosity as if raking his brain on where he has seen that familiar person._

 _"Oh, you're here." Setsuko said as she stood up from her seat with the help of the arms of the sofa as she put pressure to her other foot as to not strain her injured foot any longer._

 _"Yes, I already called my chauffer to wait out by the entrance so I can accompany you on your way home." The stranger replied as he placed his arm around Setsuko's shoulder to support her._

 _Kazuya just stood still, watching the two of them, unable to even utter a single word for he is afraid to ruin the perfect scene playing before his very eyes._

 _The two of them, Setsuko and that stranger…_

 _They look so good together… perfect even._

 _The stranger, finally noticing the presence of another in the room looked at Kazuya with a curious gaze._

 _"You're the new dance scholarship student, Yamamoto Kazuya-kun, right?" the man said._

 _Kazuya's eyes widened as he frantically bowed deeply before the man._

 _"Y-Yes, I-I am! Nice to meet you." Kazuya replied with his head still bowed._

 _The young man, probably the same age as he gave out a small smirk and gestured Kazuya to lift his head._

 _"Nice to meet you too. I'm Ootori Kyouya" the man introduced and it all clicked in all of a sudden._

 _He has seen him before. He has seen him on the newspaper, on the television, on business and lifestyle magazines…. Ootori Kyouya, the youngest son of the CEO of Ootori Medical Group, one of the richest companies in Japan._

 _He never would have thought that he would get the chance to meet the son of the business tycoon here. Ootori-san, like every other sons and daughters of those people that he often see on business related prints and shows often seem so unreachable. It's like they live in two separate worlds when in reality, all of them breathe the same air._

 _Kazuya finally noticed that he had been staring at Kyouya for some time now that it was getting a bit weird. He lightly blushed from embarrassment and shifted his gaze towards Setsuko who was in the arms of Kyouya to support her injured ankle._

 _"Well, I guess that you already have someone who can accompany you, Setsuko-san." Kazuya said with a slight smile on his face, masking the feeling of something painfully tugging at his heart._

 _"Yes, thank you for everything that you've done. See you tomorrow." Setsuko replied with a rare smile of her own as she proceeded on her way out with Kyouya who gave a slight nod of his head to Kazuya in acknowledgement of the help he gave to his fiancée._

 _Finally, Kazuya heard the sound of the door closing. He just stood there, staring at the space previously occupied by Kyouya and Setsuko._

 _'Why do I feel this way?' he thought to himself as he ran his hand through his soft, whitish blue locks. He gave out a deep sigh as his eyes portrayed an emotion that can only be identified as sadness._

 _"She's so different from how other people thought her to be…" he mumbled to himself as he picked up his belongings. He have had heard of people talking about how much of a spoiled, cold-hearted and wicked brat Setsuko is. This was also prevalent with the other dancers who seem like they resent her to the core. However, it was far from the truth. She's nothing like what they make her seem to be. Not noticing it, a smile slowly crept up his face as he thought of tomorrow and how he would get to see her again._

* * *

 **Well, that's it for this chapter! I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Reviews, comments and criticisms as warmly accepted. Just click the review button or send me a PM. Thank you and have a great day! -Spark of Memories**


	4. Chapter 4

H, everyone! First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your support! I never would have thought that people will still read this story that has been on hiatus for more than a year! Thank you so much for those who followed, Favorited, and reviewed this story. I hope that you will still continue to support this story as the plot thickens and the secrets slowly reveal. So, without further ado, here is chapter 4 of "Pirouette"

Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC. I only have the rights to my original characters and the plot of the story

* * *

"-jou-sama…."

 _'It was that day that completely changed my life'_

"Ojou-sama!"

"Huh?" I immediately went back to the real world when I heard the baritone voice of my chauffeur. Quickly plastering on my signature poker face, I masked how startled I was and looked out of the tinted glass window to see that we are approaching the flamboyant campus of Ouran Academy.

Everything was exactly the same. The pink colored walls and the carefully tended garden were she usually spent her time promenading during her middle school years were exactly like how she left them.

"We are nearing Ouran Academy, Setsuko ojou-sama." The chauffeur announced as he drove towards the entrance of the lavish campus where a few students were already heading out since it was already dismissal time.

Setsuko mentally cringed as she looked at the horrendous yellow cupcake that was an excuse for a uniform. She was so glad that she transferred during her final year in middle school. She can't even begin to imagine how she would look like in that uniform which makes anyone look like she just bathed in yellow frosting.

Finally, the car stopped in front of the entrance doors of the high school building of Ouran. The chauffeur went out of the driver's seat and opened the car door of the passenger seat with his gloved hand. He offered his free hand to Setsuko and used his other hand to lift it above her head in order to protect her head if ever she will bump it as she goes out of the car.

Accepting her chauffeur's hand, Setsuko made her way out of her white limousine and accepted her Chanel bag from her chauffeur.

"Hey, isn't that Fujiwara Setsuko-san?" a girl whispered to her friend as she pointed her perfectly manicured finger towards the ballet prodigy.

Soon enough, her presence garnered the attention of other people and many of the students looked towards the direction of Setsuko. Not only was it because she's wearing a different school uniform, signalling that she obviously went to a different school and that she is a renowned ballet dancer but the students, especially those who knew her from middle school were curious as to why after more than two years did she only show her face at Ouran.

Her mysterious dropping out of school when it was already the end of her second semester during her last years in middle school at Ouran was a mystery enough but her act of not even stepping foot on the grounds of Ouran was a puzzle itself.

"She's probably here to visit Setsuna-chan." A girl with short, brown hair said.

"Yeah, or she's here for Ootori-kun. She's his fiancée after all." The girl's friend replied.

Setsuko, not minding any of the hushed whispers of the students proceeded on her way inside the school where she would have to meet her fiancée.

* * *

(Dance room no. 1: Ouran ballet troupe)

"Point those toes higher!" Madame Eleanor commanded as she roamed around the dance studio to observe the dancers who were doing their routine. Her sharp eyes quickly analyzed every dancer, watching out for any mistake or a sign of imperfection.

She has been teaching and monitoring the ballet troupe of Ouran for many years now and she could clearly say that many of them have a potential. All of them, except for one. Fujiwara Setsuko, her former student and the previous principal dancer of the Ouran ballet troupe. Her talent was beyond ordinary. She was an exceptional ballet dancer that her performance brings you to tears. It was like watching an improved version of her colleague, Adalicia Sinclaire Desrosiers, now known to be the wife of a business mogul and also the mother of Fujiwara Setsuko. She was like her mother in a sense that the way they dance make it seem like the music was alive. Their performance makes it seem like every emotion was almost tangible. That was also one of the reasons why Setsuko was a student that she would never forget. It greatly saddened her when she learned that her favorite student was dropping out of Ouran for some unknown reasons. Her talent was extremely rare to find and it became a great loss to her when she had to let go of the ballet prodigy.

As she roamed around, her eyes drifted towards Setsuna, Setsuko's younger sister of two years. Ever since Setsuko left, Setsuna was the one who replaced Setsuko's title of being the principal dancer of the troupe. Needless to say, Setsuna was a remarkable dancer herself but the way she dances never seems to give an impact and impression similar to that of the previous principal dancer. However, Setsuna was a hard worker. She strived to outdo herself to the point of breaking. Maybe it was because all her life, she has always been in the shadows of her older sister. The two of them are sisters but the total opposite of each other. Based on her point of view as a mentor of both of them, the aura given off by Setsuko was that of a cold and precious porcelain figure, her performances were perfect to the point of being frightening while Setsuna releases a warm, bright aura that makes everyone in the room smile as they watch her performance. The two are definitely top notch dancers but very different in their own way.

Suddenly, a girl bolted into the room, making everyone stop their dancing.

"Hey, did you all hear?!" the girl exclaimed.

Madame Eleanor sighed as she approached her student who made an ungraceful presentation of herself.

"What is it that you have to say, Rika-chan?" Madame Eleanor asked the female who obviously ran her way towards the studio, obvious from her large intake of air as she heavily breathe in and out.

Finally, when she composed herself to start talking, he eyes drifted towards Setsuna who was looking at her with an equal amount of surprise as that of the other members of the dance troupe.

"Fujiwara Setsuko-san is here." The girl whose name was Rika announced which caused quite a buzz inside the studio. Even Madame Eleanor was shocked since no one has ever seen her step foot in Ouran for more than two years.

Setsuna's eyes widen in surprise as she thought of reasons as to why her older sister went to the very place that she herself vehemently despised. The place that started and ended it all….

Her eyes gazed down as a frown grazed over her face as she remembered her sister's sudden request to drop out of Ouran. It was all so sudden for everyone.

 _Well, except for two…_

No one truly knew the reason why her sister dropped out. No one knew except Setsuko, Setsuna and her mother….

Setsuna lightly bit her lip, a habit that she developed whenever she tried to suppress her feelings. She shook her head to stop herself from remembering the painful past as she sighed deeply and plastered on her bright, comforting smile.

"Really? She must be here to see Kyouya-kun. The two of them are so busy that they rarely see each other anymore." Setsuna said with a smile, masking the turmoil boiling up inside of her.

Yes, no one would have to know. As long as neither of them speaks up, everyone will continue to be blind to the truth.

* * *

Strolling down the halls of Ouran Academy made her feel nostalgic. She was a middle school student when she studied at Ouran so they are in a separate wing from the high school students. However, the ballet troupe studio was located at the main building where the high school students study so she have had the chance to explore the building. Her light steps echoed on the perfectly polished tiles and she tried her best to mask the pain in her ankle which was badly sprained.

 _'How come I always injure my right ankle?'_ she randomly thought to herself as she glanced at the familiar surroundings.

After a few minutes, she found herself standing in front of the third music room. She proceeded to open the door and what greeted her was the overpowering waft of the scent of roses and rose petals themselves.

"Welcome!" a group of males said in unison.

Setsuko slightly squinted her eyes from the sudden brightness of the room and after adjusting her vision to the light, she found herself staring at six guys and a girl who for some reason wears a uniform prescribed for guys.

She rose her eyebrow in curiosity as she searched for the familiar face from the group. Finally landing her gaze on the handsome man with dark hair and obsidian eyes framed with glasses who was holding a black notebook in his hands, she walked towards him.

"Kyouya." She said, gaining the attention of the said man.

"Setsuko, it's a surprise to see you here." Kyouya replied in a gentlemanly manner, masking his surprise of seeing his fiancée. He broke out from the group and went towards her.

"My mother has been bugging me for ages to come and visit you so I merely want her to shut up." Setsuko replied with a light roll of her eyes as she made herself comfortable on a plush velvet couch.

The other members of the host club stared at Setsuko for quite awhile until the president of the club, Tamaki, went towards her with graceful strides and then bowed to her in a princely manner as he took her hand and kissed it.

"My, how fortunate am I to suddenly be graced by a beauty comparable to that of the fresh flowers kissed by the cool drops of spring rain…" he then gently caressed the hand he was holding and then produced a single red rose out of nowhere.

"Tell me, my beautiful spring rain, did the heavens take the loveliest of the periwinkles and placed them into your dazzling eyes?" he exclaimed with a princely voice that can make most of the ladies squeal in delight.

Setsuko stared at him hard and long with an emotionless gaze until she finally turned her attention towards Kyouya.

"Is he the phony and narcissistic prince whom you were talking about before?" her crisp, cold voice permeated through the air as a pregnant moment of silence enveloped the third music room.

Suddenly, sounds of sniffling were heard and then, the blonde haired guy ran away and leaped into the arms of Kyouya.

"M-Mother, she's so mean! She just called me phony and narcissistic!" Tamaki wailed into Kyouya's shoulder.

"She's just telling the truth, boss!" the twins, Kaoru and Hikaru said in unison as they approached Setsuko. The two linked their arms together as they circled around her as if she was a prey.

"So… the legendary ballet prodigy, Fujiwara Setsuko…."

"Since you are known for having a keen eye… Can you tell us…"

"Which one is Hikaru…."

"….and which one is Kaoru?"

The twins were just barely an inch apart from Setsuko's face that it made Setsuko feel uncomfortable. She stared at the two of them for awhile until a voice interrupted their one-sided game.

"Now, that is enough, you two." Kyouya's calm but sharp voice said.

The two turned to look at Kyouya and it only took a second for them to get away from Setsuko when they noticed the evil aura coming off from the dark lord.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses for a second and then turned his attention to the newbie host, Haruhi.

"Haruhi-kun, can you please bring a cup of tea for Setsuko? Assam tea will be fine." Kyouya requested to which Haruhi gave a small nod and went towards the backroom to prepare tea.

Kyouya then approached Setsuko and sat across from her. "It's really a surprise to see you here. Don't you have ballet practice during this period of time?" he asked her.

"My ballet instructor forbid me to join practice until my sprain heals. I don't have anything to do because mother and father are away on a business trip and I basically can't do anything much because of my injured ankle so I came here. Put in a good word to my mother, okay? I don't want to have another petty talk about me not properly playing my role as your fiancée." She stated as she crossed her arms and looked at Kyouya in the eyes.

Kyouya secretly smiled at Setsuko's bluntness. She was the only one aside from the host club who can directly tell him what they want to tell him. Many people often worry about how they'll treat him just because he is the son of the CEO of Ootori Medical Corporation. They worry that if they spoke ill of him, his father will bring their family down into financial distress.

Maybe it is because they live in the same world. Maybe it is because they have the same experience of being pressured to the point of breakage or maybe it is just because more than else, he felt the closest and most comfortable with her.

Haruhi then came back and placed a cup of tea in front of Setsuko to which Setsuko gladly accepted.

"I see that it's not yet the time for the host club to open?" she asked as she took a sip from the deliciously made assam tea.

"No, it's not yet time. We'll open in about ten minutes."

"I heard that Setsuna is quite a frequent customer of this host club. I would often hear Setsuna and her friends talking about this host club whenever they would come over for an afternoon tea."

"Yes, she's a regular customer of Tamaki."

"Oh, she likes those kind of guys, huh?"

The conversation between the two drew on until the host club decided to keep a bit of distance from the two of them but still enough to hear their conversation.

"Eh, so that's Kyouya-sempai's fiancée. We've only watched her ballet performances but never actually met her in person." Hikaru stated as he and his twin observed how the two interacted with each other.

"Yeah, she avoids Ouran like a plaque. It makes everyone wonder what happened 2 years ago." Kaoru replied. The twins then sighed as they drifted their attention towards Tamaki who was silently crouching and growing mushrooms on a dark corner with a sad aura looming over him.

"Tono! Can you please stop growing mushrooms on every corner?" Hikaru exclaimed towards Tamaki who was still sulking.

"Ne! Tama-chan, don't be upset!" Honey-sempai exclaimed while he approached the still sulking Tamaki.

"Why does he keep on growing mushrooms every time he is upset? It's such a chore to clean them up." Haruhi said while silently looking at Tamaki who was being consoled by Honey-sempai. "By the way, who is she? She seems close to Kyouya-sempai." She added.

"Her name is Fujiwara Setsuko. She's Kyouya-sempai's fiancée."

Before Haruhi could even react, the loud sound of ceramic being slammed down was heard throughout the entire room. It made even Tamaki turn his head towards the direction of the two engaged couple who were just conversing a while ago.

Setsuko was standing up as she tightly formed her hands into fists. She was slightly shaking and she had her head bowed down.

"Setsuko" Kyouya called out to her as he too stood up. "You cannot change the past, Setsuko. What's done has already been done." He said in a low voice.

"I-Is it my fault that I keep on holding on? Is it my fault that I want to hold on to my belief that in some way, he truly loved me? That he loved me not because I am a Fujiwara but as Setsuko?" Setsuko said in a soft but harsh voice. Her lips were quivering just a little bit as she looked at Kyouya straight in the eyes.

"He may have loved you for a while but that love of his was not enough to shield his eyes from the wealth and prestige of your family."

Silence followed after that and as the final words of Kyouya rang into Setsuko's ears, all she could do was give a smile, a smile that of a forsaken woman who truly and purely loved with all of her heart.

 _"Then, let me hold on to that love for awhile. Let me until I finally tire of feeding my mind and heart of illusions that he may have loved me just as much as I have loved him."_ She said as a lone tear escaped her eye for the first time in a few years.

* * *

That's it for the 4th chapter of Pirouette! I hope you like this story. Reviews as well as criticisms are warmly accepted. Just click the review button or send me a PM! Thank you and have a nice day! -Spark of Memories


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, guys! I am really sorry for the long wait! My tardiness is inexcusable! I swear that I already have a new set of ideas and scenarios playing in my head put I just can't put them into words! For everyone who waited and still supports this story, you have my utmost gratitude! Well, here is a long chapter for all of you!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club. I only have rights to this story as well as my original characters.**

* * *

 _Rushed footsteps were heard as the clinking of heels was ringing throughout the hallway of the hospital. Sweat dripped down the sides of Setsuko's face and her hair was all over the place but Setsuko paid no heed to it. Her eyes and mind were only headed for one direction. Hospital room number 409, the hospital room where a car accident patient was currently being kept for treatment._ _Finally, when she reached the front door, she made no hesitation and quickly opened the door. The sight she was greeted with almost made her cry. His body was beaten up so bad and he had bandages all around his head. His right leg was up in a cast and his eyes were covered in bandages because in addition to treating his deep wounds, he was required to undergo an immediate surgery because a part of his eyes were damaged during the accident so he may have a difficulty in seeing objects for a little while. The patient on the pure white bed sheets was sleeping peacefully, not even aware of the presence of another in the quiet room with only the sound of the heart monitor filling the tangible silence of the hospital room._

 _Setsuko made her way towards the provided foldable chair and she sat on it as she gently held the pale yet warm hand of her beloved._

 _"_ _Kazuya..." she whispered with a soft voice that it was barely heard._

 _The steady rising and falling of Kazuya's chest assured her enough that he was alive. That thought alone made a single tear to fall down her eye._

 _She was so scared when she received the phone call from the nurse. She was the number one person in Kazuya's speed dial so she was the person whom they called. She was currently on a ferris wheel in Tokyo, watching as the soft white snow goes down the tiled pavement of the amusement park that was nearing its closing time when she received the dreadful call._

 _The nurse said that Kazuya was riding a taxi going towards the Osaka Airport when a truck was speeding up and eventually crashed with the taxi. The driver was declared dead on arrival while Kazuya was immediately brought to the operating room and after that, he was put on the ICU for a few hours before he was stable enough to be transferred to a private ward._

 _It took all of Setsuko's will to not jump on the gondola as she received the news of the accident. She immediately went towards the airport and boarded her family's private jet to go to Osaka where she was met with the battered and bruised body of Kazuya._

 _"_ _Please wake up..." she whispered again as she held his hand tighter._

 _It added to the weight in her heart when she recalled how their last conversation with each other ended._

* * *

 _"_ _Hello?" Kazuya said through the phone as he made his final packing of his belongings._

 _"_ _..."_

 _No sound was heard from the other side of the line so Kazuya asked again._

 _"_ _Hello? Who is this?"_

 _"_ _..."_

 _Finally, Kazuya sighed, thinking that this might be a prank call from someone._

 _"_ _...Are you happy?..." a girl's voice was heard from the other line before Kazuya was about to press the end call button. The sound of that familiar voice made Kazuya freeze in his tracks and his eyes widened in surprise._

 _"_ _Why don't you say something? Did you suddenly lose your tongue?" the girl's crisp and stern voice asked and even if they were miles away from each other, Kazuya can hear the venom laced with every word she uttered._

 _"_ _Setsuko... Why did you call me?" Kazuya asked in a soft whisper as he casted his eyes down to his luggage._

 _"_ _Why are you asking me that silly question? Is it really that surprising that I give my boyfriend a call?" Setsuko retorted with the same cold voice._ _Kazuya lightly bit his lip and clenched the fabric of his shirt as he prevented any emotions from showing through his voice._

 _"_ _Setsuko, please...Let us not part ways like this." He pleaded with her as the hand that was holding his phone tightened its grip._

 _"_ _Why? Are you really that appalled by me and my voice that you never want to hear me talk to you?"_

 _"_ _No! It's not that I-"_

 _"_ _Then what is it?!"_

 _"_ _I-..." Kazuya's voice drifted off as he swallowed down the sob that was about the break through._ _He breathed in deeply and managed to compose himself just a little bit._

 _"_ _I don't want to have any second thoughts of staying here in Japan and abandoning the opportunity given to me." He said which earned him a few moments of silence from the speaker at the other end._

 _"_ _Oh, that opportunity to study in the Royal Ballet Academy under the recommendation of Madame Adalicia Sinclaire Desrosiers Fujiwara, one of the most renowned principal dancer of the academy as well as ten million dollars and a penthouse in Paris as complimentary gift? Well, a person with a mind like yours can certainly not resist those tempting offers." Setsuko said in a mocking tone that made Kazuya's eyes close and the tears he failed to contain to spill down uncontrollably._

 _A few moments of silence reigned as Kazuya managed to hide the sounds of his sobs._

 _"_ _Tell me..." Setsuko uttered._

 _"_ _..."_

 _"_ _Are those useless things the price of our love?" she finished with a soft voice and unbeknownst to Kazuya, Setsuko's eyes were equally pouring out tears._

 _"_ _Are those enough of a compensation for our love that you abandoned me? Tell me, Kazuya! Did you even love me? Did you love me for who I am and not for how much money I am worth?!_ _Did you love me just as much as I love you? So much to the point that I was willing to defy my family and break my lifelong friendship with Kyouya! I was willing to do that... I was willing to because I love you so much..." the sobs that were being kept in by Setsuko were finally released as she let all her emotions loose._

 _A long silence followed after Setsuko's outburst as Kazuya struggled with his words. His lips and hands were now trembling and he had to distance the phone away from him in order for Setsuko to not hear his agonizing sobs._

 _It never meant to be this way. All he ever wanted was to love her and for her to love him. He was already contented with that. However, he just had to cross the line and desired for something more. He desired for freedom for both of them. He wanted to shout to the world that they were in love. He was tired of being in the dark. He was tired of swallowing his emotions as he watched how Setsuko and Kyouya display to the world their engagement. He was sick and tired of being the secret boyfriend. He wanted something more. He wanted recognition. He wanted to hold Setsuko's hand as they walk down the hallways of Ouran without the worry of being caught by one of the students. He wanted to sweep her away from the arms of Kyouya when they finally made their engagement official to the whole world. He wanted for both of them to freely love each other but for a second, he forgot how the world truly works. He forgot the world that Setsuko lives in. He forgot that in that world, money can buy everything, even the truth._ _That's why, no matter how painful it may be, no matter how much he wanted to just kill himself instead of parting ways with the one that he purely and genuinely loved the most, he had to leave her side. Even after knowing that his life will never be the same again, he had to leave her, knowing that if he did, everything will fall back into what it was supposed to be._

 _"_ _Yes, those were enough." Kazuya replied shortly in a quiet voice when he managed to calm himself down._

 _"_ _..."_

 _"_ _Let's face the truth, Setsuko. No matter how pretty or interesting you may be, no one can ever avoid how much your name is really worth. I am just one of those guys. I may have been attracted to you at first but in this world, we have to face the reality that I was not saved from the temptation of your family's value."_

 _"_ _..."_

 _"_ _..."_

 _The silence on the other line was so thick that Kazuya was about to press the end call button to end their conversation as well as to end any existing relationship the two may have had._

 _"_ _Then you are just not the same person I knew. You are different from the Kazuya I loved." Those were Setsuko's final words as she was the one who hang up. She never knew how much tears Kazuya shed that night, how intense were the sobs that rocked his body as he clutched on the promise ring that the two exchanged a few hours before the official engagement party of Kyouya and Setsuko. He clutched that single piece of memento that held every bit of their love with strength as if his life depended on it._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Setsuko. I'm so sorry..." he repeated into the thin air like a mantra._

* * *

Setsuko briskly walked down the hallways of Ouran Academy albeit with a slight limp and quiet groans of pain because of her injured ankle. However, all of the pain did not matter for her only goal was to get away from that pit of hell. All of Kyouya's words struck deep in her heart for the wounds left by Kazuya's betrayal were still fresh in her cold, scarred heart.

Even if she wanted to forget that fateful day, her mind seemed to be like a broken tape recorder, playing over and over again those words and scenarios as if mocking her for being so naive and clueless. The last time Setsuko and Kazuya met was in a hospital in Osaka where Kazuya was confined due to a car accident. Kazuya wasn't able to even see her or know her presence because he was unconscious the entire time that she was there by his side.

Their romance, although it only lasted for a short while, was the most precious thing that Setsuko kept in her heart. She loved him with a love so pure and unadulterated and she thought, she believed that he loved her the same way but it was never meant to be. He was just like one of those two-faced, gold digging sons of business men who wanted nothing but her family's wealth and influence.

However, she continued to doubt herself. She continued to think that maybe she misjudged him. She still fed her mind with illusions that somehow, she was mistaken and Kazuya still loved her. It was so pathetic to hold onto false hopes like that but remembering those times when the two of them would be cuddled up in each other's arms with a pint of green tea flavoured ice cream shared between the two of them as they watched a humorous, slapstick variety show on an old television set on Kazuya's apartment like some cheesy elderly couple, when Kazuya would get jealous over the simplest of things such as Setsuko having a guy partner besides him during a dance, when he would secretly sneak a few bars of chocolates for Setsuko and remembering that one time when they uttered vows of their own, just a few hours before her official engagement with Kyouya, where they gave each other promise rings and sealed their vows with a sweet and soft kiss was enough to make her doubt if what Kazuya said when the two of them parted were all true.

* * *

"Ne, Setsu-chan looked like she was really upset…" Honey said to Mori as he played with Usa-chan. The rest of the host club members looked at Kyouya who proceeded to sit on the couch after Setsuko walked out a few moments ago.

"….."

Even though all eyes were on him, he never even uttered a single word as a reply.

"Kyouya…." Tamaki started but was cut off his words with a single glance from Kyouya.

"You don't have to say anything." Kyouya stated as he directed his gaze towards the door. He gave out an inaudible sigh and closed his laptop. Lacing his finger together, he propped his elbows up the tea table and let his chin rest upon it.

It has been like this for years. He would always reason out to Setsuko so that she may finally wake up from her self-inflicted illusions, so that she may finally open her eyes from the truth. Their relationship was never this rocky before. The two of them were very close ever since they were mere toddlers since their fathers were business partners and there were several occasions on where they would often be left with their nursemaids in the company lounge as they wait for the business meeting of their parents to end so it was inevitable that the two of them grew close to each other. They were always together and it never bothered them when they were informed that they were soon to be engaged to each other. However, all of that changed when Yamamoto Kazuya stepped into the picture and Setsuko fell deeply in love with him. But that love, that love that Setsuko thought of as something so pure and sacred was in fact all a bitter lie. It was all a masked façade of innocence and behind that mask is a vile and corrupted intention.

At least that was what they made Setsuko think to be the truth.

However, he knew everything. He knew all of the lies. Kyouya knew that the one who deceived Setsuko was her own mother. Everything, even from the single minute detail was all a farce. But despite all of that, he had no choice but to go along with that lie. After all, because of that lie, everything will fall into where they should be in the first place.

Kyouya sighed once again before he stood up. The eyes of the host club members were upon him but he paid them no heed. He turned towards the direction of the door and went outside of the club room to find his childhood friend.

* * *

 _"_ _Setsuko..." Kazuya whispered groggily into the thin air. His throat was dry and he found his voice to be raspy._

 _"_ _Are you awake?" a woman's voice gently called out to him._

 _He squinted his eyes a little bit to get himself adjusted to the bright light. Finally, he could picture out a white ceiling. He looked around a little more and found the beeping heart monitor by the bedside._

 _"_ _It seems that you are" the woman said once again. He turned towards the direction of the woman's voice to find a middle aged woman wearing a nurse's uniform and holding a clipboard._

 _"_ _Where am I?" he asked in a raspy voice._

 _The woman smiled gently at him. "You are in the hospital. You were involved in a car accident a few weeks ago. You were unconscious for about two weeks." She said._

 _Kazuya's eyes widened as he looked around the room and he was indeed in the hospital. Well, that explains why that woman was wearing a nurse's uniform. His eyes then spotted a vase filled to the brim with wisteria flowers. The nurse noticed that his attention was into the vase and gave him a smile._

 _"_ _Those flowers were given by that girl. She never fails to visit you every day. She always took care of you when you were unconscious. You're so lucky you have such a nice and caring girlfriend."_

 _Kazuya's heart skipped a beat and his chest constricted when he figured out who that girl the nurse was mentioning. He looked down as he slightly bit his lip._

 _"_ _When is she coming back?" he asked with a hope laced in his voice. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest and his heart rate sped up. The obvious fast paced beeping of the heart monitor was heard throughout the room and the nurse worriedly went towards Kazuya._

 _"_ _You should lie down first. It's not good for you to stress yourself after you've just woken up." The woman placed her hands on Kazuya's shoulder and back to support him but Kazuya quickly slapped her hands away._

 _"_ _Where is she? Where is Setsuko?!" Kazuya's voice rose considerably as he looked around in panic. He then put down his bare feet into the floor as if to stand up but the nurse prevented him from doing so._

 _"_ _Stop it! You shouldn't be standing up yet!" she scolded and struggled to lock him in place but Kazuya continued to thrash around._

 _"_ _No! I- Where is Setsuko?! Where is she?! I-I need to see her! I have to tell her something important!" Kazuya yelled desperately with tears running down his face._ _He ripped off the IV on his hand and proceeded to get up. The nurse then pressed the emergency button in panic while she struggled to subdue Kazuya who was thrashing around._

 _"_ _She left a few days ago! She went back to Tokyo with her sister!" she exclaimed and finally, Kazuya stopped his movements and sat silently at the edge of the bed as if all of the power he previously had dissipated._

 _"_ _W-What did you say again?" his voice trembled with sadness and his eyes shook with tears as he deeply breathed in and out._

 _"_ _She left with her sister. Her sister said that their parents demanded her to return to Tokyo at once but she left a letter for you to read after you wake up so don't worry too much." The nurse calmly said and picked up the single, lavender colored envelope sitting atop the bedside table and gave it to Kazuya._

 _With shaking hands, Kazuya opened the envelope and saw Setsuko's neat penmanship._

 _Kazuya,_

 _I know that by the time you are reading this I already went back to Tokyo. I want to apologize for everything that has happened to you. It was all because of me. If you haven't gotten yourself involved with me, you shouldn't be there in a hospital. That's why I finally realized it myself. I realized that I should distance myself away from you so that you wouldn't get hurt again. I realized that I have to let you go. I'm sorry if I was so stubborn and made you feel uncomfortable. I know now. I know that we shouldn't be together anymore. I hope that you will live a happy live and it may be best that the two of us shouldn't meet anymore. However, remember this, my love for you was never a lie. I truly loved you and I still do but our circumstances made it so difficult for us to love each other. Maybe in another lifetime we may freely love each other. Maybe we could finally be together and if ever that time will come again, I will never regret loving you the same. But in this time, we are bound to part ways. I may be Kyouya's fiancée and eventually I may become his wife but remember that you still own a part of my heart. No one will ever replace you even though our love was never meant to be. After you finished reading this letter, I only have a single request. Please forget about me. Forget everything so that you won't be in pain anymore. I wish you all the best._

 _-Setsuko_

 _All Kazuya can do was stare at the letter with his mouth slightly agape. The continuous drops of tears from his eyes were leaving a large stain on that piece of parchment paper as his hands trembled, making small creases in the paper._

 _"_ _Setsuko..." he whispered out. The nurse looked at him with sympathy in her eyes and she immediately knew what to do and quietly left the room._

 _Kazuya never noticed that the nurse was already gone because his focus was on that single piece of paper that brought such great sadness to him._

 _"_ _I-I can't...How could I possibly forget about you? A-After everything... After knowing how much you mean to me... how could you be so selfish and demand something from me that I obviously cannot do? " he whispered with anguish in his voice as he clutched the paper into his hands._

 _"_ _I never meant anything I said that night. I never looked at you as if you were some bag of cash. I truly and honestly loved you. I-I..." but the person to whom those words were addressed to was gone and all Kazuya could do was let his tears fall and his sobs fill the room and accept the fact that the love between him and Setsuko has come to an end._

* * *

Kazuya woke up with a start and looked at the digital clock at his side table. It read 2:30 am. He gave out a long sigh as he gently ran his fingers through his soft locks. He felt around for the lamp switch and when he finally turned on the bed lamp, his gaze went towards the night table and saw the untouched bottle of pills.

"I forgot to take them again..." he mumbled out to himself. Suddenly, he saw droplets of something wet drip down his hand. His eyes widened as he reached out towards his cheek to feel the dampness of fresh tears running down his face. He wiped them off to stop them from falling but new tears quickly made their way back.

"I... How could I? Even after two years..." he whispered with his voice laced with unfathomable sadness.

Kazuya looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes as he gave out another long, deep sigh. He tried to even out his breathing to calm himself down but the hands that were turning ghostly pale from gripping the bed sheets too hard were enough of an evidence how shaken up he really was.

After that fateful day, he never saw Setsuko again. He knew to himself that he could just go back to Tokyo and look for her but something prevented him from doing so. What if Setsuko really wanted them to part ways? What if she realized that she couldn't really love someone as pathetic as him? He wanted to see her. He wanted to hear her voice and hold her in his arms even for one last time but he couldn't.

Kazuya opened his eyes again and got out of bed seeing as there was no purpose of staying in bed when he was fully awake. He opened the door towards the balcony and immediately, a gush of the chilly autumn wind grazed his face as if welcoming him.

After that fateful day, he decided to move to Kyoto. He couldn't bear to go back to the place that held a lot of memories of Setsuko. His career as a ballet dancer was also cut short because he incurred a severe injury in this ankle during the accident therefore, he wouldn't be able to perform the stunts that he used to do. Instead, he enrolled in a theatre program and is now performing in several musicals.

The sound of his phone ringing brought him out of his thoughts. Kazuya turned and closed the door to the balcony and went back towards his bed where he saw his phone. He read the caller ID and immediately sighed to himself.

"What is it?" he asked to the person from the other line.

"Oh, Kazuya! You're awake? I didn't expect you to pick up your phone!" a male's voice could be heard from the phone.

Kazuya signed and sat down at the edge of his bed.

"If you know that it is abnormal to call a person at this time of the day then why did you call me?" Kazuya asked exasperatedly.

A long pause was heard from the other side until the caller gave out a sigh.

"You forgot to take them again, haven't you?" the caller asked or more like said.

Kazuya wasn't able to say anything and just looked down at his feet with eyes laced with sadness.

"See what I told you? You aren't able to sleep unless you take them. You should stop taking those sleeping pills! They are not good for your health!" the man lectured out to Kazuya as if this topic was brought out countless of times between them.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Kazuya? Are you still there? Hey, I didn't mea-"

"I-I know what you're trying to say to me, Makoto. I-I fully understand what I am doing but I..." Kazuya's voice drew on.

"You still get those nightmares, right?" Makoto finished the sentence for him.

"...Yes..."

"Look, man. It's been two years. God knows if she still remembers you or if she still loves you. I watched the news the other day and I saw that the date of the marriage between Setsuko and that Ootori boy has been moved up to an earlier date. They said that it was immediately after the two of them graduate high school. Kazuya, I know that you still love Setsuko but don't you think that two years of suffering is long enough?" Makoto said from the other line with his voice filled with worry.

Kazuya bit his lip to stop them from trembling as his grip on his phone tightened. Finally, he gave out a sigh as he smiled sadly as if pitying himself.

"I know, Makoto. I know that it's hopeless waiting around like this but I..."

Kazuya smiled as he let the tears fall from his eyes. He reached out towards his left ring finger and caressed the promise ring that Setsuko gave him and then looked at his night table to see a single framed picture on top of it. There on that picture were two people. A girl and a boy who were in a gentle and loving embrace with wide smiles on both of their faces as they stood underneath the famous wisteria tunnel of Fukuoka.

"...but I still love her, Makoto. That will never change. Even if she loves another man right now, even if she may not even remember me, a part of her will always stay in my heart. That's why I ask of you to please let me live with this love that's barely holding on. At least let me love her until I couldn't love anymore..."

"..."

"..."

"...Then, it may take you forever before you can finally let her go..."

* * *

 **I assure you that the drama is just starting!** **Thank you for reading this story and I hope that you enjoyed it! Comments and critiques are warmly accepted. Just click on the review button or send me a PM. Thank you and have a great day! -Spark of Memories**


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